cover image You Will Be Mine

You Will Be Mine

Natasha Preston.. Sourcebooks Fire, $10.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-4926-5432-2

Themes of betrayal and jealousy dominate Preston's (The Cellar) romantic thriller. With Valentine's Day only days away, Lylah is in no mood to celebrate since it's also the second anniversary of her parents' unexpected death. She was 17 and her brother, Riley, was 21 when their parents' car crashed. Finally, her life has regained a sense of normalcy%E2%80%94she's a media student attending college, living off campus with five housemates and even crushing on one of them. But everything changes when an envelope addressed to Sonny, one of her housemates, arrives at their doorstep. Next, Sonny is murdered, his heart removed. Fear and suspicion set in as the police begin investigating the crime, and Lylah fears she could be the next victim. Horror fans may relish the grisly details of the crimes, and Preston is skilled in building an atmosphere of paranoia and claustrophobia, yet readers do not gain a full understanding of character motivations and, as a result, may not be fully invested in their fates. Ages 14-17. Agent: Jon Elek, United Agents. (Feb.)